


Comfort Crowd

by voiiddweller



Category: Hooky (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pendragon is a shit dad, Please give Nico hugs he deserves them, Self-Worth Issues, This is my first time posting a work bear with me, idk what to put here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24655300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voiiddweller/pseuds/voiiddweller
Summary: " I just needed company now,I just needed someone around."alternatively: Nico goes to Mark after a small fight with his adoptive father.
Relationships: Mark Evans & Nico (Hooky)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Comfort Crowd

**Author's Note:**

> My friend and I were talking about a modern au for hooky and I really REALLY wanted to write something for it, so here is my first work for it !!
> 
> (I plan on doing more for a variety of characters but there's a high chance I won't whoops)

This has gotta be the last fucking straw. If Nico didn’t hate his dad before, he did now.

Every single mistake he made was always such a big deal to the man who raised him. It was as if he didn’t judge himself enough already! The old guy’s opinion added onto his own really made the ginger feel  _ wonderful  _ about himself.

Even if he’d been living with the constant critical judgement and.. Distance from his father figure his entire life, it still hurt. If anything, the fact he’s dealt with it forever makes it worse.

But hey, at least things stay consistent! Nights like these always went the same way!

He’d fuck up in some way, his ‘dad’ would get upset and he’d end up out the door, going to stay with a certain muffin boy more often than not.

Now was one of those times.

When he was already a few strides down the street, he pulled out his phone to send Mark a message. The other boy would know why he was contacting him. 

**(11:43 PM)**

_ mark. _

_ i’m coming over. _

_ Nico it’s almost midnight _

_ there’s no way you’re walking all the way over here on your own. _

_ i’ll be careful _

_ no need to worry dumbass _

  
  


Before Mark could send another message, Nico stuffed his phone in his pocket with a huff, letting his eyes flutter shut as he walked down the sidewalk. He knew he should be looking where he was going when it was as dark as it was, but he needed to cool down. Especially when his best friend would be all over him, making sure he was okay the second he got there.

He really didn’t understand why that big dumbass cared so much.. He lived, what? Five minutes away? Their town was small, there was such a small chance of him getting hurt.. It was nice to know he had someone to go to though. 

After walking for a few minutes, he reached the Evans’ house, only to find the boy he’d just been texting was already outside. In just  _ seconds _ , Mark had rushed up to him and began scolding him.

“You’ve gotta stop coming over here on your own this late. If something would’ve happened to you, I wou-”

“Mark,” Nico interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows a little. “I’m  _ fine _ . Can we go inside?”

Luckily, that was all it took to get Mark to listen, the taller of the two stepping backwards and leading the smaller boy inside.

He knew better than to ask about what happened.

They’ve known each other long enough that it was an unspoken thing.. The ginger talked about things at his own pace. If you prodded for information on anything, he’d shut down and refuse to speak at all. That’d happened with Mark on various occasions. 

So sitting in silence in the older boy’s bedroom was what they stuck to. They were both on the bed, Nico’s knees tucked up to his chest, Mark taking on a more neutral sitting position.

Nico could feel the other boy’s eyes on him, but he avoided looking at him, instead focusing on his bedroom walls. They were covered with memories from (mostly) the two of them. He used to draw a lot when he was in elementary school, most of the time of him and his best friend “Mark the Giant.” He’d present them to him every time with a big smile on his face.. And Mark kept all of them.

Even when he was what he considered a bad friend, Mark cared about him enough to keep the work of his tiny baby hands on his walls- and what was he doing to show he cared? Texting his best friend at midnight and intruding on his home every other night?

Before he could even process it, he felt warm tears slipping down his cheeks and a small shift from next to him.

  
Of course- Mark noticed he was crying before he did.

The ginger sucked in a sharp breath and buried his face in his knees, effectively hiding away. He felt a hand in his hair almost immediately and, instead of moving away from the touch like he would when other people were around, Nico leaned into it slightly. There was no reason to make anything harder than it had to be.

“Hey..” Mark muttered, his fingers stringing through his hair slowly- like he was hesitating. He didn’t get to say anything more, though, since Nico was quick to speak up before he could.

“I’m a piece of shit,” He practically spat- it didn’t sound nearly as angry as he expected it to. His voice was shaking too much for it to get anywhere close to that.

“You shouldn’t have to sit and deal with my bullshit every other night, but you  _ do _ . You do so much for me and in return, you get a bad friend who.. Who acts like he’s above everyone, even if he can’t do  _ anything _ right. You-” He was cut off by a sob that bubbled out of his throat before he could stop it, more following after quickly.

“Y-you should hate me.” He forced out in between the pathetic little noises slipping out of him. Throughout his entire little ramble, his best friend’s hand was still moving through his hair.

“Nico..” Mark started, moving a little closer- he wouldn’t hug him. He didn’t want to risk pushing what the ginger was comfortable with.

“You’re not a bad friend. You’re my best friend and I could never hate you.. You know that,” That earned a hiccup from the boy that was practically crumpled in on himself.

Nico did know that. Did he accept it though? Hell no.

“I don’t deserve that..” His voice was tiny, as he was trying to push back the cries.

“You deserve to be cared about just as much as everyone else..”

That was what made Nico finally move, but only to bump his body against the taller boy- so Mark finally hugged him, albeit a little awkwardly because of the height difference, but he held him anyway.

The smaller of the two shifted so he could wrap his arms around Mark back, pressing his face against his shoulder to keep himself hidden as he cried.

Mark didn’t mind.

He could handle a soggy shirt, as long as Nico would feel at least a little better in the morning.


End file.
